The Last Day of Pompeii

Karl Bryullov visited the ruins of Pompeii in 1828, and out of it came this painting that turned his title into that of the Russian Romantic painter in the streets in Rome, Italy and thereafter, in Europe. Russian Romantic Painting is characterized by the blending of the Classical techniques of the Renaissance along with emotions and this is what Karl Bryullov is best known for. The painting, to this day, leaves you with awe of the detail of destruction and the horror on the people's faces. It capitalizes on the concept that when Nature shows her destructive side, we are all at her mercy, no matter how young or old, slave or free. Perhaps the most striking aspect upon closer inspection are the statues falling from their high pedestals in the city, perhaps of the Roman pantheon of deities, as well as the man wearing a cross around his neck holding a censer indicating the emergence of Christianity among the Roman public. Again the hopelessness and despair of man in the face of a volcanic eruption is emphasized as their deities and faith is crumbling as the city does around them. The bright red sky as well as the lightning flash shows a bright, still snapshot of a very dark day as every segment of the painting narrates a different tragic story. The face of his wife, Countess Julia Samoilova appears in four different places in the painting and his self portrait is also immortalized on the upper left corner, carrying paint supplies. The tragic mood, the sheer depth displayed amongst the red background beyond the scene in front of us, and the weight of the knowledge of impending doom of a crumbling city in each of the people's expressions as well as in the primal terror of the horses makes this painting a magnificent sight to behold.